Essence
by rosethourne
Summary: Drabbles based on darknessversuslight’s DeviantART 100-theme writing challenge. WARNING for: any and all spoilers, including LABB; inconsistent updates; and possibly a bit of boyxboy romance or fluff. Contains any and all characters I feel like using.
1. Prompt 1 Introduction

**_AN: Hey there, it's Rosethourne! So... *laughs nervously* I guess I haven't posted anything in a while, huh? Or... well, for a loooong time... But hey, I'm about to fix that!  
_****_This is going to be a set of drabbles, all based on prompts from _****darknessversuslight's DeviantART 100-theme writing challenge. Although... technically speaking, it's actually 104 themes - apparently, she lost track while she was typing them out, and mis-numbered some of them, so she ended up with four extra. (Also, if anyone wants to suggest some prompts for me, and I happen to like them, I would totally be willing to use them and make this story even longer!)  
I'm not actually sure how often I'll be updating this 'story', though. I'm rather... sporadic with my writing, and I tend to get really interested in something for a while, and then get distracted by something else, and ignore the first thing for months at a time. But I've got quite a few chapters done already, and I'll post those right away, and I've been sort of addicted to this challenge, so it'll hopefully (*crosses fingers*) be updated fairly often, if not on a regular schedule.  
Anyway! About the drabbles themselves... This one is the shortest I've got written so far, but none of them will really be TERRIBLY long... And they'll include most (if not all) characters, including BB (I loves him too much to leave him out!) and A (who doesn't get nearly enough attention, in my opinion). They'll also take place at any point in time, including long before the LABB Murder Cases, and long after the end of the series. Which means this story WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS! MANY MANY SPOILERS! This first chapter doesn't, so feel free to read it... but from this point on, you read at your own risk.  
And... wow, the AN is longer than the chapter... sad... But anyway, please enjoy! Oh, and reviews are love! (Flames will be looked over for any relevant criticism, and then laughed at) Now, Matty, if you please...**

**_Matt: Rosethourne does not own Death Note, or any of the characters, nor does she own the set of prompts. She only owns her own interpretation of them._**

_1. Introduction_

One phrase. One simple phrase that he had said countless times, in many different languages. It was three words, when said in English; it would be two in Japanese. And yet, for all the times these words had been spoken, for all the people who had heard them… they had never been said in person… the voice behind them had never truly been heard…

…until now.

The small group of men, all of them police officers, walked through the doorway and into the hotel room, and for the first time, he stood to meet them… face to face. Eyes widened, jaws dropped, minds went blank, but still the words were spoken.

"_L desu."_

"_I am L."_


	2. Prompt 2 Complicated

_**AN: Hey, look, it's chapter 2! This one includes L, Light, and Yuri. For those of you who don't remember, Yuri was the girl Light took on a 'date' to Spaceland, when he planned out that whole bus-jacking incident to get Raye Penber's name. This is while Light has no memory of being Kira, by the way - it's just about the only time I don't hate him...  
Anyway, enjoy this one, and remember, reviews are love! (Also, the title for this series was sort of random... if anyone has any better ideas, feel free to make a suggestion!)**_

_2. Complicated_

"Light?"

The young man nearly cursed, but turned around with a smile. "Yuri. It's been a while."

The girl smiled, obviously trying very hard _not_ to look at the handcuff on Light's wrist. "I'll say! I haven't seen you since graduation! How've you been?"

"Oh, not too bad…"

There was a bit of an awkward silence, before Ryuuzaki nudged Light in the ribs. Yuri spotted it, and smiled a bit stiffly. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Light froze. _'Friend? L's certainly not my friend! He suspected me of being a murderer, abducted my… girlfriend…'_ even thinking of Misa as his girlfriend almost made him shudder, _'made my father pretend to kill me, and chained himself to me!;_

"_**I won't be satisfied unless you're Kira…? …There may be some truth to that…"**_

'_We get into fights every other day, argue every hour or so… sleep in the same room… spend twenty-four hours a day together… have conversations that no one else can follow……'_

"_**Light isn't Kira… or rather, I don't want Light to be Kira. Because Light is my first-ever friend."**_

Light blinked, then smiled at the girl he had once taken on a date. Only a second or so had passed while he was absorbed in his thoughts.

"Yuri, this is my friend Ryuuga Hideki. Ryuuga, this is Akino Yuri. We graduated from high school together."

"Don't forget the date we went on to Spaceland together!" Yuri scolded lightly, giggling.

"Yeah, how could I forget? That bus ride was awful."

The girl sobered immediately. "Yeah, that was terrible. I know he wasn't a good person, and he was threatening all of us… but I wish he hadn't gotten killed like that."

Ryuuzaki cocked his head at them. "What happened?"

"We were on the bus from Spaceland after our date, and this guy got on the bus, pulled out a gun, and hijacked the bus. We were all hostages, but this guy sitting behind us… What was his name, Penber?" He glanced to Yuri, who nodded. "Yeah, Penber… anyway, he turned out to be on an American FBI agent, and he was getting ready to try to stop this guy, but then the bus-jacker went nuts, started shooting at the back window, stopped the bus, got out, and was immediately hit by a car."

"Sounds terrifying," L commented in a way that almost sounded sincere. Light could see the wheels turning in his head. Yuri nodded, then glanced at the handcuffs.

"So… umm… if you don't mind my asking, Light… what's with the chain?"

Before Light could even manage a grimace, Ryuuzaki was already answering. "Yagami and I are doing an experiment for our psychology class. The professor wanted us to see the psychological effects of spending twenty four hours a day with another person."

"Oh, really?" Yuri glanced at the chain again, more confidently this time. "That sounds really interesting! What've you found out so far?"

"Ryuuga never sleeps, and he has an unhealthy obsession with sweets," Light replied immediately.

"And Yagami has an unhealthy obsession with his appearance," Ryuuzaki retorted with a hint of a smile.

Yuri giggled. "Sounds like you two are getting along just fine." She glanced at her watch, and her eyes widened. "Oh… is it that late already? Well, it was really nice seeing you again, Light, but I really have to go!"

Light nodded. "Yeah, it was nice seeing you too." He found himself smiling, actually smiling, as the girl hurried away. When he turned, he found L staring at him. "What?"

"Do you actually consider us friends, or did you just say that to avoid further questions?"

"Well, you said it yourself, didn't you? You're the first real friend I've ever had. Sure, it's a bit odd, but it works for us."

"We're friends… despite the fact that I think you're Kira?"

"I wish you'd stop with that… but yes. We're friends despite the fact that you think I'm a psychotic serial killer, despite the fact that we're almost constantly fighting, and despite the fact that you're undeniably one of the weirdest people I've ever met."

"Hmm… Up 3%."

"What?! Why?!"

"You were likely the only person that Raye Penber was tailing that actually made contact with him before his death. Beyond that, you were able to learn his name in conjunction with seeing his face."

"You… you… you bastard! For the last time, I AM NOT KIRA!"

L just smiled, and turned to continue down the sidewalk. "Whatever you say, my friend."

Light gaped for a moment, then hurried to catch up before he was dragged along by the chain. "You know, Ryuuzaki, sometimes I really hate you…"


	3. Prompt 12 Dead Wrong

_**AN: Yeah, so I might not have mentioned it before... but these aren't necessarily going to be in order - for example, the last chapter was number two on the prompt list, and this one is number twelve. Also, while most of these will probably have no connection to each other, there will be a few that ARE connected - whenever that's the case, I'll let you know in the Author's Note. (that is NOT the case here... at least, so far...)  
Anyway, enjoy, and please review!**_

_12. Dead Wrong_

He was wrong. Somehow, somewhere, he had made a mistake. _'No, that can't be right. I don't make mistakes. I'm not wrong…_' But he had been. He must have been. There must have been something, some little detail that he had missed, some percentage he had misjudged, miscalculated… there had to be some mistake.

After all, why else would he be lying on the floor, watching a stained glass ceiling that wasn't there, hearing the voices of children who hadn't been children for years and years, looking up into a face with glowing red eyes that seemed much too smug…

No. He hadn't been wrong.

He had been right all along.

'_And therein lies the problem.'_

L had been right from the very beginning. He had known that Light Yagami was Kira.

So now, when he finally made the first major mistake of his life… (_'How could I have possibly ignored the shinigami?'_) Kira had made sure that it would also be his last.


	4. Prompt 76 The True You

_**AN: Hey, there! So... I mentioned the skipping-around-way-the-frick-out-of-order thing already, right? Good... Cuz, yeah, the last one was prompt 12, and this one's... 76... Wow, that's a big jump... Anyway, to be honest, I'm not really all that fond of this one, and I'm not sure I entirely like the way it turned out. And like I said earlier, most of these won't actually be all that long... it depends on how much I get into the theme.  
But I've rambled on enough, yes? Please enjoy! And reviews are love!**_

_76. The True You_

"_Have you ever, once in your life, told the truth?"_

Light could still remember the day L had asked him that… after all, he would _never_ forget that day. How could he? That was the day he had finally _won_.

But why was he thinking about it now? Ryuuzaki had been dead for almost a year… no, it _was_ a year now, wasn't it? Light smiled wryly, and shook his head. '_Well, then, I won't be working on the investigation today, will I?'_ The Task Force had agreed that they would take November 5th off. It would seem that some of them didn't feel right, working on the day that their former leader had died. _'Maybe that's why I'm remembering it…'_

"_Have you ever, once in your life, told the truth?"_

Had he?

At the time, he had answered with some drivel about how everyone lies, and how he made an effort not to tell lies that hurt people. And that in itself was another lie. And something told Light that L had seen right through it.

But still, the question lingered. Had he ever told the truth?

Except for small, insignificant statements, the answer would be n—

Wait. No, there _was_ a time when he told the truth, to the best of his knowledge… when he was under surveillance… when he was chained to L… basically, when he wasn't Kira. He had told the truth… because he thought he had nothing to hide. There were no 'friends' to wear his mask around… there was no 'Kira' to hide from L… There was only Light Yagami and L… or was that Ryuuzaki…?

Whichever it was, L or Ryuuzaki, or even Hideki Ryuuga… Light had been sure of his own innocence, and so, he hadn't felt any need to lie. And without lies… all that was left was the truth.


	5. Prompt 60 Exhaustion

_**AN: *steps hesitantly into view* Umm... hi, there... It's been a while, hasn't it...? ... *curls up on the floor, crying* I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to go this long without updating! It's just... well, I really don't have an appropriate excuse, but I've been busy with school, and application stuff, and visiting home, and... and... Gomennasai! *bows* Really, the time just sort of flew by, and I didn't even realize how long it had been until CameronKennedy wrote about how long it had been since her last 'Life After Death Note' update (Awesome story, btw, you should totally read it!), and I remembered that I had updated before her last update, and... yeah, go thank her for reminding me to update, even if she didn't do it intentionally.**_  
_**Anyway, enough of my pathetic apologies, yes? On to the chapter! Oh, and a slight warning - Light is VERY OOC in this chapter... but that's sort of the point. Also, I don't really like the end of this one, but I couldn't think of anything better... if any of you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them! Remember, reviews are love!**_

_60. Exhaustion_

The rest of the Task Force had already gone home, and L and Light were sitting alone at the computers, still working. It was their third day being chained together, and, in fact, L had been working the whole time. Light, by virtue of the handcuffs and L's stubborn refusal to quit working, had been forced to remain awake with him.

…L was about to see the reasoning behind the myth that a person could be declared legally insane after going for three days without sleep.

"…Light-kun, what are you doing?"

"Spinning."

… L blinked at the straightforward answer. _Yes, I can clearly see that…_ Light was leaning back in his office chair, spinning in small circles, with his handcuffed wrist held above his head to avoid tangling the chain.

"Might I ask why?"

"Cuz I'm bored," Light responded, as he continued to spin.

"You're… bored."

"Yup."

"You _do_ realize that you still have work that needs to be done, yes?" Finally, Light stopped his spinning, and pouted, yes, _pouted_ at L like a rebellious child.

"Aww, but Ryuzaki, that stuff's so _boring_!"

"You find the _Kira_ case _boring_?"

"Didn't I just say that?"

…L was about ready to groan. Yes, he knew Light was childish – it was one of the things that the younger boy had in common with Kira, as well as with himself – but this was a bit much. …Something wasn't right. "Light-kun, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, why?" Light asked, leaning back in his chair and staring up at the ceiling, as though it were extremely interesting.

"You're acting strangely."

"Am I?" He seemed to seriously consider it. "My head hurts a little, but I don't _feel_ like I'm acting strangely," he decided after a moment or two.

"Are you saying that you _normally_ act like a small, bored child?"

"Well, I… _HEY!_ I am _not_ acting like a little kid! I resent that, Ryu— ooh, new e-mail!" Light's computer had just _ping_-ed, and he eagerly leaned forward to click on the message box that had appeared on his screen.

"…I believe I should add Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to my previous description…" L murmured to himself absently.

"What?"

"Nothing, Light-kun."

"…Okay."

…

"Why are you spinning again?" For indeed, Light had begun spinning in circles once more.

"I'm bored."

This time, L really did groan. Then, he caught sight of Light yawning widely, and a lightbulb flashed in his mind (figuratively, of course). _Generally speaking, people act abnormally if they go too long without sleep…_

"…Perhaps I've kept you up too long, and you're suffering from sleep deprivation… Come, Light-kun, I think you need sleep."

Light stopped his spinning once more, and looked up at L, before stifling another yawn. At the mention of sleep, he suddenly felt much more tired.

"Mmkay, Ryuzaki," he acquiesced, and he stood up and allowed L to lead him to the bedroom they shared without any sort of protest.

The next morning, Light had no memory of his strange behavior, and L chose not to enlighten him. And from then on, L never allowed Light to work for more than twenty-four hours straight. The consequences were too terrible, no matter how much work was accomplished.


	6. Prompt 63 Heartfelt Apology

**_AN: ... *sigh* I seem to be making a habit out of these long absences, don't I...? *bows* I'm so sorry! But, because I've kept you all waiting so long, I'll wait to apologize until AFTER the chapter (which is, sadly, quite short... I might have to see about writing up another drabble this weekend...). Enjoy!_**

_63. Heartfelt Apology_

It was never meant to last, you know.

My entire goal, from the moment you told me you were L, was to see you dead. Anything else was  
impossible. Not by nature, perhaps, but because of our circumstances, the events that led us there, the  
situation that we found ourselves embroiled in until the end…  
So, no, I won't apologize for what happened.

You would have done the same to me, given the chance. I know you would – you told me so yourself,  
once… or rather, you implied it. 'Justice will prevail,' and all that. And your 'justice' meant my death.  
Unless, of course, that was just another of the many lies you've told. It wouldn't be the first.

'Light-kun is my first-ever friend', for example. We both know it wasn't true. L doesn't _make_ friends.

It's really not that strange, I suppose… I don't either. Or, at least, there's no one I consider a real friend.  
Maybe there's something about being a genius that deprives a person of total human understanding.

Still, I have to admit, you came closer than most. And I really must say, you made a very worthy  
opponent. You might even have won, if you had paid more attention to the Shinigami. Although  
Rem originally seemed like a problem, she, and her attachment to Misa, actually became very useful. …  
Reading back through this now, I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to say, or why I'm writing to you at all.  
You're too far away, by now, to ever read it, so what's the point? …Still, whatever the reason…

…Goodbye, L Lawliet.

_**AN #2: **_**_Alright, so I feel like a horrible author and Death Note fan, and not just because of the month-long gap between updates... Firstly, I missed all the birthdays this month! So, I'd like to wish a happy belated birthday to Mello, Matsuda, Misa, and Raye Penber! Especially those three boys, because I love them all to death! (even if none of them are actually my FAVORITE... Also, I find it hilarious that Mello and Matsuda's birthdays are only a day apart... XD) Secondly, even though I keep saying that reviews are love (which they are...)... I think I have yet to respond to a single one of the reviews I've gotten! Sorry! Thus, I would like to thank (and apologize to) Sonar, and especially xElementFivex and zchocolatebunniesrulezworld (who have both reviewed multiple times! Thank you, guys!). Thirdly, of course, is the second month-long absence in a row. I DO have a semi-legitimate reason, though! First, I had final exams (six tests total, and one of those was a two-day exam), then I was working the first week of break, both at work and helping clean the house for Christmas (*note* Since I'm in college, and away from home most of the time, I generally only work during summer and winter break, at the embroidery shop that my mom also works at), then was the super-busy Christmas weekend itself, and then... Sadly, my attention was distracted from Death Note by the super-addictive-crack that is Bleach... A friend of mine (and mutual Death Note fan) made a deal with me, that for every chapter of Bleach I read, she'll read one of Naruto. Since the day she offered the deal (Sunday Night), I've read... 236 chapters... Yeah... And, even though I'm closer to catching up with the storyline, I'll sadly be going back to school on Sunday for an Interim class (one class, three hours a day, for three weeks), and thus will be trying to learn a week's-worth of Psychology each day... I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write new updates. But I will try! (harder than I have been, because obviously that's not hard enough...)  
Anyway... Like I said in the first AN, I'm going to try to come up with another drabble this weekend, so I hope to see you all then!_**


	7. Prompt 103 Friendship

_**AN: Hey there! Only a few days after my last chapter, and there's already another update! Amazing, isn't it? Well, as promised, here's the extra drabble, both to help make up for my long absence, and to (hopefully) tide you guys over, in case I don't get a chance to write anything else during this three-week interim class!  
And, about this drabble... I realized that I've been focusing a LOT on L and Light... and this series has always been intended to include as many characters as possible... so! Here's one that's NOT about L OR Light, or even anyone from the original series! Instead, it's about A and B! (And if you don't know who those two are... you REALLY need to read the novel, Death Note, Another Note: Los Angeles BB Murder Cases! It's awesome, and BB is hilarious! Sadly, though, there's only a very brief mention of A...) This drabble would take place... probably just days before Beyond leaves Wammy's, and just minutes after A's suicide. Anyway, enjoy!**_

_103. Friendship_

When he was found, A looked like he was sleeping. In a way, he was – he had just taken some pills and fallen asleep… The problem was, he wasn't going to wake up again. But that wasn't what bothered B. He'd seen death before. He'd seen it his whole life, in fact, with no choice in the matter.

No, at the moment, what bothered B most about A's death wasn't the death itself, but the scene. Something was missing… Something that should be there, but wasn't. It took him a few moments to realize what it was – A was asleep, and sleeping peacefully by the look of it, but there was no bed. A should always sleep on a bed.

And that's why B was the first one to leave the study that A had fallen asleep in. That's why B went to A's bedroom. That's why B was the first one to see the letter sitting on A's pillow. That's why B was the only one to read A's final words.

**B,**

**Thanks for being the one to find this. I knew you'd catch it first – you're always looking for what's missing, rather than what's there. No one else will probably think past the fact that I took a bottle of pills and died in my sleep. …Well, I suppose L might, but he's not here, is he?**

**You told me once that you can see death, or rather, when some one's going to die. So I guess you already knew what was coming, huh? But you want to know why, don't you? Of course you do, you always want to know more about everything. Because you never know what little tidbit might make the difference between winning and losing, right B?**

…**It was too much. Heh, I guess I just wasn't cut out to be L… or a detective, period. There were too many people depending on me, too much pressure to do the right thing, to figure out the puzzle faster, to get the higher score, to be the best… I couldn't stand it. You'll be a much better L than I would have been, anyway. Though… I wonder if either of us could ever have surpassed the original? I suppose I'll never know… Would you find out for me, B? Find out if anyone can be better than L?**

…**Enough of that. More than anything, B, I want to thank you. You were… well, you were **_**there**_**, which is more than I can say for anyone else. You distracted me, you talked way too much, you were crazier than anyone else in this nuthouse, you were a total goofball, you annoyed the hell out of me… and you were the best friend I could ever have asked for. You kept me sane for as long as possible.**

**And I'm sorry. I left you alone with all the uptight, rule-bound, silent-prodigy-geniuses, didn't I? And I probably made you crazier than you ever would have been, with all my whining, and worrying, and… yelling. Sorry I yelled at you.**

**I know you don't believe in Heaven, but I'll be there waiting for you. And if too much time goes by and you don't show up… well then, I'll just have to go to Hell and find you. Because Heaven wouldn't be good enough without my only friend there with me.**

**And I know you. You'll go off and do something crazy and get yourself killed early, instead of getting all old and wrinkly. So… well… don't keep me waiting too long, but don't be too quick about it either, alright?**

**I'll see you soon, B.**

**Signed, Andrew Robert Stewart.**

…The whole thing was crossed out. Not scribbled out, though – the whole thing was purposely legible, but there was a single, straight pen stroke through each and every line of the note, except for one at the very bottom of the page.

**B- Thank you for everything. You're the best friend I could have ever asked for. See you soon. -A**

Already, the wheels were turning in B's head. _'Be better than L, huh?'_ Yes… he could do that. B tucked the letter into his pocket, and nodded to the bed as though A were still there, sitting on it and listening to his half-crazed rantings like he always had.

"Right. See you soon, Andrew."


	8. Prompt 4 Rivalry

_**AN: Oh, my, what's this? Two updates in one day? Haha, well, I was looking through the themes, and one of them happened to catch my eye... and make me realize... 'Hey... don't I have another file that would fit this theme perfectly?' And, thus, I went back through some of my unpublished, largely unfinished work (you guys have no idea how many stories I've started, and probably will never finish... I don't even want to TRY to count them all...), found the drabble I had in mind, and... well, ta-da~! Consider this... a very late Christmas present, and an extra apology for being gone for a whole month! (God, I feel like I'm always apologizing, but I still feel bad about it! Sorry, guys!)  
Anyway... yeah, hope you guys like it! :D**_

_4. Rivalry_

**Near is an aggravating, pompous little sheep. He's cold and calculating, calm and logical. At first glance he seems quiet and polite… even to the point of looking bored and uninterested… but he knows **_**exactly**_** how to get the response he wants. And he seems to be especially good at provoking Mello.**

**Mello is a temperamental, competitive ass. He's fiery and emotional, overactive and spontaneous. He's obsessed with being better than Near, and having the chance to become L, and he'll do anything short of cheating to do it. But he absolutely **_**refuses**_** to do anything that could be considered cheating, and he wants to win fair and square. And he seems to want to make sure nobody **_**else**_** does anything to Near that would make things unfair.**

**To be completely honest… they both pretty much drive me nuts. Mello overreacts to everything, and Near never reacts to anything unless it benefits him somehow. But hey, what's a guy to do when his only friends are assholes?**

**Now, don't get me wrong – Mel and Near both have their positive qualities, too. It's not like they're all bad. Mello's great to go to if you need someone to play videogames with, as long as he's not busy studying. And he's almost always ready to help you out… that is, if you're me. Not to mention, he has a certain fondness for excitement, and pranks. Sure, it gets us into trouble sometimes, but it always keeps the House from getting too boring, right?**

**Near's pretty cool sometimes, too. He's good for listening, even though he might not seem like he's paying attention, and he can give some pretty good, well-thought-out advice from time to time. He's never annoyed by the sound of video games, and he's a good person to just hang out with for some down-time. (and, despite what you might think… he's an amazing gamer – he can pick up any video game, take a glance at how it's controlled, and within minutes he'll have things pretty much figured out. it's great for team games, but not so great for any head-to-head stuff… I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but he's beaten me on a couple of occasions…)**

**Of course, there's nothing that even compares to the way they act if you get them together. There's the rivalry, that's obvious to anyone with eyes. Even Near shows some signs of it, though he's harder to read than Mello is. But, if you look closely, you can see they don't exactly hate each other. Underneath the urge to be on top, you can see a sort of… mutual acknowledgment. They both know that, if anyone were to beat them, each one would want it to be the other. Like… if anyone other than Near was ahead of Mello, you know he'd go absolutely nuts… or, more nuts than he is now. But it's the same for Near – I think he feels like… if anyone is going to beat him, it has to be Mello. That's the only defeat he'll accept.**

**That****'****s probably why they****'****re the top two ****–**** they****'****re always pushing each other forward, like a personal challe**

"What're you writing?"

Matt's head snapped up from his laptop, and he saw blonde hair hanging over the edge of the screen – Mello was standing in front of him, and was peering at the screen, reading upside down. After a second, the blonde laughed, and looked up at his friend.

"I like the first sentence, at least. What is it?"

Matt smirked. "I thought you'd like that. It's that essay we've got for Psych I – you know, the one where we're supposed to analyze some of the people closest to us, and any relationships they might have."

"So for an essay about inter-personal relationships... you're writing about _Near_?" Mello asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, Near... and you... I guess I'm sort of writing about the battle to be L's heir."

Mello frowned. "You _are_ saying that I'll win in the end, right?"

"You'll either win, or find some way to blow yourself up trying."

"Hell yeah. But what the heck's up with you – you rarely do your homework, and you _never_ work on papers the day they're assigned!" Mello put a hand to Matt's forehead, as if checking for a fever. "Are you sick or something?"

Matt just shrugged, and grinned. "Maybe I am. I dunno, I just felt like working on it. Is that a crime?"

Mello rolled his eyes, but chuckled as he crossed the room and plopped down on his bed. "It is for you. It's, like, against the laws of nature. 'Matt is not allowed to work on his essay the day it's assigned,' or something like that."

"Whatever. So, who're you writing about?"

"I dunno – I haven't decided yet. I don't really feel like working on the stupid thing right now anyway." The blonde leaned over to open a drawer in his bedside table, and pulled out a small bar of chocolate, which he unwrapped and broke in half, tossing one piece to Matt, who was staring at him wide-eyed.

"Who are you, and what've you done with the real Mello?"

"What?"

Matt laughed. "The _real_ Mello _never_ puts off doing his homework, and he rarely splits his chocolate with a lowly peasant like me."

"Pfft, lowly peasant? Since when are you a peasant?"

The brunette ducked his head behind the screen of his laptop as he turned his attention back to the essay. An obviously-fake sniffle was heard from behind it. "Since I lost my first-place position to a pompous sheep and a temperamental he-she."

Mello growled. "Wanna say that again?"

"Not particularly. Now shhh, I'm trying to do my homework!"

It was Mello's turn to stare at his friend. "Now that's a sentence I _never_ thought I'd hear from Matt's mouth," he muttered to himself as he took a bite of his chocolate. With a slight shrug, he grabbed his calculus book from the desk, and got to work on his own assignment.

**like a personal challenge, just between the two of them. Third parties just aren't allowed, as far as Mello and Near are concerned.**

A quiet knock on the door caught both boys' attention, and Mello got up to open it.

Roger stood on the other side, his face rigid and composed. He was obviously trying to keep his composure, but whether he was angry or not, neither Matt nor Mello could say for sure.

"Mello, please come to my office. I'm afraid I need to have a word with you – I'll be there in a moment."

Mello and Matt shared a confused glance, before the former nodded. "Sure, Roger." He squeezed past the elderly man through the doorway and headed down the hall, while Roger turned and headed the other way.

With a shrug, Matt returned once more to his essay.

**I'm not quite sure about how strong Near's feelings are on this – he's usually not really talkative. But I know this for a fact: Mello would die before he would ever let some third-party interloper beat Near before he could.**

Satisfied for the moment, and resolving to go back and edit it later, Matt saved the file, closed out the window, and went to grab his GameBoy for some well-deserved play time. A few minutes into _Legend of Zelda, Link's Awakening_, the door opened, and Mello walked in and sat down on his bed without a word. Matt paused the game and looked up – and froze at the sight of his friend's face. It was rigid, just like Roger's had been, and completely unreadable; usually, Mello's face was like an open book, to those who knew him.

"Yo, Mel, what happened in there? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Mello blinked, and looked at Matt for a second, before his eyes dropped to his folded hands.

"Matt... L's... dead..."

The GameBoy in Matt's gloved hands fell unnoticed to the floor.


End file.
